The Delaware ledger. (Newark, Del.) 1879-19??, 1887-03-05
Bill Nye on Big Hats.
The late William Shakespeare once
wrote in an autograph album these
words;
All the worlds a stage.

WnftlS
All the worlds a stage.
Sincerely your friend,
VIM. SHAKESPEARE.
Perhaps he meant that there were
flies on it-but we will not under
take to enter this field of thought.
However, to speak in Il more serious
vein and treating the subject in a
more digniiied way, will state that
after anumber Of years scrutiny of
the world am convinced that the
great bard used this expression in a
fgurative sense only. Could he
pick up his pen to-day he would
either erase the above line or add to
it so that it would read
"All the worlds Il stage, and no.
body but the woman in the high
nat can see what is going on upon
1t. Yours bitterly, BILL.
The tall hat with a wad of tim
othy Or five-pound pompom at the
apex thereof, has brought this about.
How would n man look who might
sit in the bald-headed row wearing
ajoint ofstovepipe on his head trim
med with hay? Has it not been the
custom for years to place bald-head-
ed men ON the front row, because
they offered no obstruction to the
vision d?
And now, what do we see?
We do not see anything
will leave it to any disinterested
person to say whether | do not love
and admire women, whether aggre-
gated or segregated, but she does do
some things which as her friend and
admirer | deeply regret.
Not long ago | had the pleasure
of attending one Of Mr.. Booths per
tormances, in which he took the
part of Hamlet" with great credit
to himself, as | afterwards learned
from amember ofthe orchestra who
saw the whole performance.
fl had not promised former
vic Of mine that | would never
touch liquor, | would have been
amply justified that evening in sat :
urating myself with bay rum or
some other seductive beverage.
paid a large price week before
hand for Il seat at the "IIamlet" per-
formancc, because ! had met Mr..
Booth once in the Rocky Mountains
and had made deep impression on
him. ! had also told him that if he
ever happened to be in a town
where | was lecturing | would dis
miss my audience to come and heal
him, and he might do as he thought
best about shutting up on the fol-
lowing night to come and heal
me.
Well, ! noticed at first when
went in that the row before me was
unoccupicd and gathered myself
up in a strong, manly embrace and
Rugged myself with joy. The cur
tain bumped itself and the first act
was about in the act of producing
itself when a meek little gentleman
with an air Of concious guilt, came
down the aisle in advance of a
womans excursion, consisting oil
four female members of his family
judged. Helooken about over the
house, timidly took off his coat and
seemed to be preparing himself fol
the vigilance committee. Then he
sat down TO see whether executive
clemency could do anything for
him.
The first woman of the four was
probably over 40, and yet with her
almost beardcss face she looked
scarcely IS. She wore tall, erect
hat, with a sort of plume to it; made
by pulling the paint-brush tail out
d an iron-gray mule and dycing it a
deep crimson.
She wore other clothing, but
that did not incense me so much as
this hat, which | had to examine
critically all the evening.
She moved her head also, and
kept time to hemusic, and breathed
hard in places, and shuddcred once
or twice. She also spoke to the mis-.
cradle man who brought her. Hel
voice was a rich baritone, with a
low xylophone action, and she
breathed like the passionate exhaust
Of an overworked freight engine.
When she spoke to her escort | no
ticcd that he shortened up about
four inches and seemed to wish he